Uzbekistan hosts first IUCN Red List training to strengthen biodiversity conservation
The Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, in collaboration with IUCN, welcomed participants from across the country to the first national training on applying the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. The workshop helped increase national capacity for assessing species extinction risk and support evidence-based biodiversity conservation, while further reinforcing Uzbekistan’s growing contribution to global conservation efforts.
IUCN Red List training, Uzbekistan. Dmitry Gorshkov, IUCN Central Asia Regional Programme Coordinator, congratulating participants
Photo: Institute of Botany, Uzbekistan
Dr Aguilar, IUCN Director General, welcoming the participants to the IUCN Red List training in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Photo: Institute of Botany, Uzbekistan
"Just one day after IUCN opened its new Central Asia Office in Tashkent, we demonstrated the value of our partnership with Uzbekistan by co-organising the country’s first-ever IUCN Red List training. This joint effort shows our strong and mutual commitment to action – and our ambition to make the Tashkent office a centre of excellence for conservation in the region,” said Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General, in her opening remarks. “The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is one of IUCN’s most powerful tools for tracking extinction risks and guiding conservation efforts, and we are proud to bring this training to Uzbekistan, building national capacity for biodiversity assessment and conservation.”
Uzbekistan is home to a high number of endemic and rare species found across deserts, steppes, and mountain ecosystems, many of which are now receiving greater scientific attention and protection.
“In recent years, under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan has advanced large-scale reforms for environmental sustainability,” stressed Shakhlo Turdikulova, Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan. “Since joining IUCN in 2021, 28 rare plant species have already been included in the IUCN Red List thanks to the work of our scientists. Moreover, our experts are now actively involved in the work of various IUCN commissions and expert groups, which highlights the growing contribution of Uzbekistan's scientific community to international scientific cooperation”.
The training brought together experts, researchers, and conservation practitioners to improve methodological approaches to biodiversity conservation, identify threatened plant and animal species, and assess their status using the internationally recognised categories and criteria. These efforts are critical for enhancing the national Red List process, aligning with global biodiversity targets, and informing evidence-based policymaking.
As 2025 has been declared the Year of Environmental Protection and the Green Economy in Uzbekistan, the training represents a timely step forward. With the establishment of the IUCN Central Asia Office and growing engagement from Uzbek institutions and experts, IUCN and its partners are well-positioned to scale conservation impact, nationally and regionally. Similar trainings on key IUCN knowledge tools and standards will be organised going forward, including the regional training on the IUCN global ecosystem typology and the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems.
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